u think we dont compare price? not all of us here are rich...and a lot of us here were windows users too including me..

obviously we want speed from our computers. but then specs is not the only thing that determines ur productivity speed (this, coming from an ex-overclocker ). for example, i find expose and spaces combined with hot corners very useful to do my work. any windows7 with monster specs will never beat that. even opening and ejecting USB drives is faster.

not to mention the amount of time u saved NOT dealing with defrag, disk scan, antivirus updates n scans, other malware protection, horrible network setup, useless troubleshooting 'guide', individually updating drivers, n lots more~

another is the total amount of $ u spend on softwares. a lot of functions is already built into OSX, plus u get iLife for free too.

for me these are the few drawbacks for macbooks/pros:
- extended warranty is considered expensive. it's worth it, but some people cant justify the price
- battery and charger is more expensive compared to other brands. same goes to miniDP adapters
- i dont like the dvd drive, sometimes cant read some dvds (while other PCs can), and takes so long to try. plus no mechanical dvd eject button (there's an eject button but it's a button to tell the OS to eject, not directly eject) so getting a dvd stuck is quite common (although easily fixed)
- only have 2 USB ports (except the 17"), and both are very close together. can only use 1 fat USB device at one time, unless u bring an extender or usb hub
- but nonetheless u'll love ur mac so much, u'll start to spend a lot on casings, sleeves, etc.. ;p

oic, havent saw chargers n batteries from other brands >rm300. if that's the case, good!

im not a fan of carbonfibre stickers, but from the pic, seems like very good craftmanship

my old MBP had a logic board problem a few months before it reached 3 years old. didnt have ACPP, repairing would be very expensive n not worth it. but anyway your question is bogus...some macs can be ok after 5 or 7 years... some wont last a few weeks. there's really no way to be sure, as with any other product u buy. even a 1mil car still can break down in 2/3 months. that's why warranty is important.

you can think of it this way. can you easily afford a new mac after 1 year (the original warranty period)? if yes, then getting a new, better model would probably make u more happy if anything happens. if no, then ACPP is a wise choice. u can always wait up to almost 12 months if you want, if it's too expensive to buy together with the mac

it's pretty weird to expect Microsoft office in a computer produced by a direct competitor, no? that's like having cheezy wedges included with a big mac set

i guess the mods merged your thread. which model are we talking about here? if it's a 2008 model MBP, rm4400 is a bit too much. probably max rm4k, assuming it's in good condition. nonetheless i believe it's still faster than what you can buy new for rm4400 today. juz make sure the battery can last long enough or you may want to buy a new one.

if this is the MBP with 8600M GT (non-unibody model), there has been a few cases of faulty GPU. i remember apple did mention they will repair it for you regardless if it's under warranty or not, but im not sure if the offer still stands. that was 2 years ago.

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jun 18 2010, 03:13 AM

i dont think there's a substitution for PPstream. a lot of people had asked for it, but no one seems to give an answer

for ur questions

1. even ejecting usb drivers is easier, 1-click. expose n spaces makes it easier to organize urself if u have lots of apps n files open, a lot better than win7's aero peek etc. the system preferences (like control panel) makes more sense, better organized so it's easier to find what you want. macbook multitouch trackpad is a breeze to use. automator is really useful to do repeated tasks. all this, not involving 3rd party software at all. add bettertouchtool n quicksilver, it's a whole new world ;P

2. general stability. im not saying macs never crash, but much less than windows (im a windows user before). also, since u can run windows on top of OSX, well osx can do everything windows can then

3. the macbook is white plastic. anything made of white plastic gets dirty easily

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jun 20 2010, 06:38 PM

one more thing u probably shud know about file transfers...

pasting a folder at a location where there's another folder of the same name, it will replace the folder instead of adding files to it.

its safe as in u can trust them since it's the official store of course. pros: save petrol, save parking fees, save ur time. also, if u buy online, u'll be the 1st person outside the factory to touch ur MBP if resellers sure they open for u. cons: need to wait a few days after u pay...which some people dun like. and no chance for freebies if u care abt that. if u got a faulty unit u can send it back.

afaik all notebook batteries today dont need to charge 8 hours before use etc. those are old rules. also, nowadays its perfectly fine to leave the adapter on. always running on battery = shorter battery lifespan. that being said, u need to calibrate at least once a fortnight.

kudos to you for not asking "do i need to take out the battery when charging?" im sick of ppl asking that question haha

^ are u sure u even copied the hidden files in the 1st place?

hmmm im not sure about this, but maybe OSX doesnt recognizes hidden folders from windows? just like how windows doesnt recognize OSX aliases

about ur external hdd, i bet it's a NTFS formatted drive. you can check by right click n Get Info. you have two choices to fix this:

- install ntfs-3g to enable ntfs write support for OSX (but the speed is quite slow)
- transfer the files on the ext hdd somewhere, and format the hdd to FAT32 (but u cant store a single file that's > 4gb) or HFS (but windows cannot access w/o MacDrive installed). then copy back ur files onto it

go to System Sreferences > Accounts. click on Login Options at the bottom. here u can set whether to auto login to an account (no need pswd) or Off (need pswd). to change ur password, click on ur username on the left panel and Change Password.

as for needing a pswd to open a file. u need to make a disk image for this. open Disk Utility, go to File > New > Blank disk image. set a suitable size, and set the encryption to 128-bit AES. u'll be asked to set a password later. when u're done, juz transfer ur files into the mounted image, and eject like how u would eject a thumbdrive. to open it, open the disk image u created (it's a .dmg file), type in the password, and it should mount

next question, the only app that can prevent ur mac from sleeping (apart from connecting to an external display) when u close the lid is Insomnia. but i wouldn't recommend it. better to just don't close the lid

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jun 24 2010, 10:18 PM

^ there were no high-profile issues with the black macbook. it didnt have nvidia GPUs so no problems about faulty GPU or anything.

if you're worried abt swollen battery, at this point i dun think the original battery is going to last long n u might buy a new one anyway

also, it didnt have LED backlit screen so it would be a bit dim n the colours not as nice as today's macbooks

the X1600 is ATI radeon bro... for the macbook pro

is the radeon 4850 good enough for you? if yes, then i suggest u should just get one now assuming the i7 chip fulfills ur need

imagine this scenario. u wait2 until september, gave up, buy the current one just before u final project, then next week come out new model. ouch

so better buy now, then new model come out on september, not so sakit hati

of course, unless new model come out next week lar haha

you wont get discounts for the mac itself. for the older 'clearance' models maybe can la. cheapest way is still the education discount. mac prices are fixed.

the best you can look for are useful freebies. but i wont put too much hope on those

EDIT: http://www.discoveryweek.com.my/2010/07/dw...-mac-ipod-nano/ <- here are some interesting offers

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jul 20 2010, 08:50 PM

1st of all, which iMac and which MBP are you comparing here?

as nimrod323 said, both would do just fine, n im pretty sure even a mac mini is fine too (im not a developer). IMO ever since the whole mac lineup (excluding the mac pro) was equipped with 9400M, all macs are very capable machines. 2 years ago, buying a 'low end' mac usually means u're losing out on something. not anymore

u just have to decide between a desktop and a notebook. if ur concern is about display size,u can always get an external display

get the 15" la... at least u'll get a current-gen proc

upgrading during purchase is still okay lar

apple online store

free gift: shipping save ur petrol n parking fee hehe

1st of all there's no graphic card in an imac. only the GPU chip, which is soldered to the motherboard. same goes to the CPU.

the only mac that uses a graphic card is the mac pro. upgradable of course but the price lagi sigh haha